If you’re new to the local art scene, I have some bad news and some good news.
The bad: Because there’s not a dedicated arts district or gallery neighborhood to stroll, finding your favorite art spots is going to take some legwork. The good: If you know where to look, Reno’s art scene is thriving.
Here are a few spots that might just become your favorites. I enthusiastically recommend that you follow these organizations on social media and sign up for their newsletters, so their events and news stay on your radar.
The Nevada Museum of Art, at 160 W. Liberty St., in Reno, brings us the world.It’s our largest, most-visible arts institution—and also one of our oldest. It was started in 1931 as the Nevada Art Gallery. It’s undergone a couple of name changes since then, and in 2003, it expanded into its current building, the shape of which is inspired by a geological monolith in the Black Rock Desert. In 2025, the museum added 50,000 square feet of gallery, library, classroom and rooftop garden space.
This institution serves up a huge range of exhibitions and programs. You’ll often see contemporary works of all kinds, including art by Indigenous creatives from our region and around the world. There’s also a strong emphasis on artwork having to do with the land and the landscape—the museum’s Institute for Art + Environment collects it, studies it and archives it, and you’ll often see it on display in various configurations. A robust events calendar includes concerts, films, classes for adults and kids, and talks on art, books, science and other topics. To learn more, go to www.nevadaart.org.
The Holland Project, at 140 Vesta St., in Reno, is the area’s premiere all-ages music venue. This Midtown institution also has two small gallery spaces, a huge heart and a far-reaching curatorial mission. HP started out as a grassroots youth art institution in 2006. It still fills that niche with a biannual Young Blood exhibition for artists younger than 21; art, craft and game summer camps for elementary and middle schoolers; and many other offerings.
HP also showcases artworks by some of the region’s most accomplished adult artists; brings in out-of-towners we’d never see otherwise; and offers workshops in writing, photography and other mediums. This institution does an amazing job of being both inclusive and professional. The staff and artists here bring a constant buzz of experimental energy; as soon as you memorize this list of offerings, they will think of something new. Head to hollandreno.org.
The University of Nevada, Reno’s art-venue offerings, while consistently excellent, have a bit of a reputation for being cloistered off from the rest of town, but this scene is actually quite welcoming. Don’t let the word “student” keep you from visiting Student Galleries South in the Jot Travis Building. The bar here is always high, and the shows look polished and professional. At the Lilley Museum of Art in the University Arts Building, expert curating translates deep thoughts and big ideas to fascinating, approachable exhibitions. The Sheppard Contemporary gallery in the adjoining Church Fire Arts building hosts artists from near and far.\
If you’ve never been to an art event at UNR, consider the biennial Valentine Art Auction. It’s a great place to “speed-date” the local art scene—you’ll get to know dozens of artists and their works, all in one shot. The excitement runs high as viewers race to purchase works at price points low and high in a rush to start or beef up their home collections. We’re told the next Valentine Auction is slated for Friday, Feb. 12, 2027.
A few tips: Study a campus map before you go to find the building you’re seeking. Park in the Whelan Garage, and note that visitor parking is tight during the day—but much easier to access on weekends and at night, when all three galleries usually hold their receptions. Join the email lists at www.unr.edu/art/university-galleries and www.unr.edu/lilley.
Reno is the gateway to Burning Man, where much of artwork has characteristics that don’t usually fly in a gallery. It can be big, fiery, blinky, kinetic, climbable—or sometimes all of the above. In the 37 years the event has been held in our own backyard in the Black Rock Desert, its exuberant approach to giant-sized art has left its mark on the region’s creative scene. The influence is most visible at The Generator, at 2450 Oddie Blvd., in Sparks. It’s a huge makerspace where members pay a modest monthly fee for access to welding, metal, textile, wood and tech shops (think 3-D printers and the like), or a larger monthly fee to take up residence in their own space for building, painting, screen printing, etc. Some resident artists here build big projects to take to the Burn, and some Burner artists from out of town stop here in the summer to build, finish or test their projects before they set them up in the desert.
The Generator is not exclusive to Burner artists, though. It offers instruction, starting at entry level, in industrial (and other) arts; kid-friendly sessions; and sales, shows and other events year-round—most of them with a definite Burner ethos and style. At www.therenogenerator.com, there’s complete information and an email-signup field.
There’s a neighborhood close to downtown Reno, along a mixed residential/light-industrial stretch of Dickerson Road, with an off-the-beaten path feel and a concentration of art establishments, each with its own unique vibe. The Wedge Ceramics Studio, at 2095 Dickerson Road, offers pottery classes, and its occasional sales events are great places to shop for mugs and other housewares made by studio members. The annual Mother’s Day sale features flowers in handmade vases, and at the Chili Cash and Carry holiday sale (scheduled in 2026 on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12 and 13), the highlight is handmade bowls with chili and cornbread by Bone Appetit BBQ. Go to www.thewedgeceramics.com to learn more.
Nearby, Atelier in Reno at 2135 Dickerson Road, sells yarn for knitters and supplies for crafters, and also offers frequent workshops where you can learn crocheting, soapmaking, sourdough baking or one of many seasonal or holiday crafts. Learn more at www.atelierinreno.com.
Reno doesn’t have a strollable gallery district, and we don’t have a fully formed gallery ecosystem, either: We don’t have a lot of what art-world folks call “midrange galleries.” That means that if you’re an artist just starting out your career, there are plenty of starter venues that will exhibit your work, and it you’ve made it to the national stage, there’s a chance your work could end up in one of Reno’s museums. But for everyone in between, there aren’t enough walls and pedestals. A couple of organizations that may not immediately come to mind as hosts for the city’s best and brightest artists have stepped in to fill this gap.
The city of Reno’s Arts and Culture department curates displays in spaces around town, most notably at McKinley Arts and Culture Center, at 925 Riverside Drive, and in the Metro Gallery, also known as the lobby of City Hall, at 1 E. First St. The Washoe County Library System hosts art shows—often by bigger-name artists—in several branches, most notably in a spacious, window-lit corridor at Northwest Reno Library, at 2325 Robb Drive. Follow @renobigartslittlecity on Instagram.